Public Relations Guide for Rural Housing Organizations (manual

More documents

Recommendations

Info

WHAT ARE PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING, AND MEDIA RELATIONS,AND WHY DO WE NEED THEM?Questions and concerns that may come to mind to the reader as s/he confronts public relationswork follow.What Is Public Relations work?We’re so busy doing our work. We can’t spend the time to communicate ourmission. (Clark 1997, 11)Human beings are born with the instinct to communicate. We all communicate, even bydeciding not to, consciously or unconsciously. Whenever we communicate, whether throughspeech, photographs, print, movement, inactivity, or silence, we are sending out informationthat reflects the deepest level of what we are all about.Today our world offers the possibility of instant communication through computers, theInternet, and fax machines. Yet much of the rural population lives without access to thesegadgets and in some cases without telephone lines. As organizations attempting to provide therural population with the basic necessities of life, we are often operating without theadvantages of the newer technology. Both circumstances aggravate the challenge ofcombating community issues such as “Not In My Back Yard” (NIMBY) attitudes or concernsover smart growth and land use, which cry out for information sharing.How do we best share the information fundamental to achieving our goals?Public relations means telling the public about something – in your case, telling the publicabout housing need, housing programs, and your organization’s work. Public relations workincludes marketing (distributing information about products or ideas) and media relations(communicating with the media). It also includes other interactions organizations have withthe public – speeches, newsletters, publications, special events, annual reports, brochures, factsheets, perhaps even funding applications. All of these can help enhance your organization’simage.Why worry about your image? Because if you exert some control over how people perceiveyour organization, programs, issues, and community, you may gain more funding, morevolunteers, more support for low-income housing, more positive images of low-income people,more awareness of positive change in your community, and friendlier attitudes fromneighbors, lawmakers, and voters.It sounds like public relations work is very basic to my organization’s work: Why?Is there anything more basic to your work than getting funding? Private and public fundingare on the decline; uncovering new funding sources is necessary.2 Public Relations Guide
A 1999 news article notes the importance of public relations in connecting to a particularfunding source just starting to be tapped: the baby boomers.Baby-boomers are replacing their parents as the new generation of donors. . . .They are not very motivated by [Washington] politics. Baby-boomers are moremotivated by local solutions and impacts of an issue. . . . They also want toknow the impact their money had on the cause. . . . Their donation is viewed asan investment – they want a return. Because of the importance of this issue,any communication strategy must satisfy these donor needs. . . A large majorityof baby-boomers are looking for organizations to have a clear and effectivecommunications strategy that includes public education and a definite mediapresence. They believe this is central [to] social change. (Giving in the 21 stCentury 1999, 3)Baby-boomers tend to equate public visibility with success, and they fund successful nonprofits.I don’t have time to think about public relations – I’m overwhelmed just trying to do the job athand.Telling the story of your success is as important as pursuing and achieving it. Repeating yoursuccess story will improve your relationship with the public in numerous ways, includingserving more constituents; acquiring new and better board members and volunteers;increasing funding; and being part of community dialogue on social issues (Crocker 2000, 12).Also, consider the morale of your employees; that too will undoubtedly improve as yourorganization’s “stock” in the community rises.Your success is judged in ways even more basic than the amount of funding you receive or thequality of housing you provide; you are also judged in terms of your effectiveness within yourcommunity – how you work in the overall context, which depends on your reaching andinvolving more people in your community in your organization’s goals.A developer’s reputation can have a tremendous impact on the nature and extent ofcommunity opposition to an affordable housing project. A reputation for involvement in thecommunity, or for developing successful projects in neighboring communities, can reduce thelikelihood of community opposition (Housing Assistance Council 1994, 125-26).Each case of citizen opposition to affordable housing development is shaped by the local socialand political environment, the reputation and actions of the developer, and local perceptions ofthe population to be served by the project. Housing advocates who feel their affordable or lowincomehousing proposals are likely to encounter local resistance can reduce the likelihood ofNIMBY opposition by initiating a process of assessment and outreach to the community(Housing Assistance Council 1994, 125-26). Encourage and make possible your employees’volunteering at other nonprofits in the community or becoming well-informed about relatedissues. Share used, no-longer-needed equipment with other community-based organizations.Housing Assistance Council 3
Page 1 and 2: Housing Assistance CouncilPUBLIC RE
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction .....
Page 5: INTRODUCTIONThis guide is aimed at
Page 9 and 10: Sharon made every endeavor to stren
Page 11 and 12: For example, at Lee County Communit
Page 13 and 14: - “We help local organizations in
Page 15 and 16: Get the names, titles, addresses, a
Page 17 and 18: “Media relations can make or brea
Page 20 and 21: current community issues, and new m
Page 22 and 23: A headline that grabs attention is
Page 24 and 25: Media AdvisoryA media advisory tell
Page 26 and 27: AS THE OCCASION ARISESSpecial occas
Page 28 and 29: Op-Ed PieceThe term “op-ed” com
Page 30 and 31: second PSAs as well (LWV 1994). The
Page 32 and 33: You might be fortunate enough to ha
Page 34 and 35: - Keep your energy level up and be
Page 36 and 37: to be thorough in your coverage, at
Page 38 and 39: Try to choose something that reflec
Page 40 and 41: The Day of the Event- Station one s
Page 42 and 43: How to Announce Your EventLarge cit
Page 44 and 45: address, using the “http://www”
Page 46 and 47: Laszlo & Associates. 2001. Getting
Page 48 and 49: APPENDIX A: TEMPLATESThe following
Page 50 and 51: Photo Release Template[Use your org
Page 52 and 53: PSA Samples[Use your organization
Page 54 and 55: Media Advisory SampleMEDIA ADVISORY
Page 56 and 57:
Media Contact Card/Database Entry[I
Page 58 and 59:
Fact Sheet Sample #1COMMUNITY ACTIO
Page 60 and 61:
Fact Sheet Sample #2 (continued)Met
Page 62 and 63:
Fact Sheet Sample #3 (continued)i S
Page 64 and 65:
- Free online donations: (Free for
Page 66 and 67:
APPENDIX C: CASE STUDIESThe six cas
Page 68 and 69:
press events, as when a TV reporter
Page 70 and 71:
Housing Development Corporation, Hi
Page 72 and 73:
HOUSING ASSISTANCE COUNCILBOARD OF
Page 74:
This guide is aimed at organization
show all

Public Relations Guide for Rural Housing Organizations (manual

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?